Family-run Mediterranean restaurant coming soon to Lower Macungie

STEEL CITY GYRO/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Steel City Gyro is expected to open within a few weeks in the Trexler Mall at 6900 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township. Owner Steve Hadid plans to operate the Mediterranean restaurant with his parents, who previously ran Mediterranean Cafe and Grill in Fogelsville.

Steel City Gyro is expected to open within a few weeks in the Trexler Mall at 6900 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township. Owner Steve Hadid plans to operate the Mediterranean restaurant with his parents, who previously ran Mediterranean Cafe and Grill in Fogelsville. (STEEL CITY GYRO/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

A taste of the Mediterranean is coming soon to Lower Macungie Township.

Steel City Gyro, offering falafel, hummus and other Mediterranean dishes, is expected to open within a few weeks at 6900 Hamilton Blvd., owner Steve Hadid said.

The 2,400-square-foot space in the Trexler Mall most recently housed Poblano Med Mex Grill, which closed earlier this year after 2.5 years of business.

Hadid, of South Whitehall Township, plans to operate the full-service restaurant with his parents, Edmond and Samia, who previously ran Mediterranean Cafe and Grill off Route 100 in Fogelsville for seven years.

The couple sold that restaurant in 2016 due to health problems affecting a family member, Hadid said.

“The story behind our first restaurant is my dad had a plastics company and when the recession happened, it kind of went downhill,” Hadid said. “We were about to lose everything and my dad said, ‘Everyone loves our food when they come over to our house, so why don’t we open a restaurant?’ At the time, there weren’t a lot of Mediterranean restaurants, and it turned out be a great success.”

Hadid had long dreamed of being a lawyer, but after attending Widener University’s Trial Admissions Program in the summer, he quickly realized the profession was not a right for him and his true passion lied in the restaurant industry.

“I really missed working in a restaurant,” Hadid said. “So, we spent about six months looking for a unit, and I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out.”

The menu will feature more than 40 items, including appetizers such as babaganoush, foul muddamas, grape leaves and labneh; salads such as fattoush with pomegranate dressing, gyro with tzatziki sauce, “Mama’s Garlic” (Hadid’s mom’s recipe) and tabouli; and sandwiches such as a “Steel City Gyro,” shawarma sandwich, chicken melt and arnabit (fried cauliflower) and hummus sandwich.

Entrees, including grilled chicken, beef, lamb and shrimp kabobs, will come with a salad and one side such as rice or mixed vegetables, Hadid salad. Entrees will range between $15 and $20.

“We’ll have a lot of vegetarian dishes such as falafel and spinach pies,” Hadid said.

Hadid acknowledges there is some ambiguity with what foods are considered Mediterranean, but he defines the cuisine as dishes originating in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

In Steel City’s case, a majority of the dishes are staples in Hadid’s parents’ native countries — his father was born and raised in Syria and his mother was born in Syria and raised in Lebanon.

“Other foods can be considered Mediterranean, too — Turkish, Greek and some people say Italian, too.”

Hadid painted the space’s walls blue and is planning to add a few more cosmetic touches, including several potted flowers and other plants.

He is keeping Poblano’s former ordering counter, so guests will be able to watch the culinary team prepare food fresh in an open kitchen.

“We want you to see us making your food — whether it’s falafel, kabobs or gyros — on-the-spot,” Hadid said. “Our food is very different and can’t be turned it into fast food. With gyro meat, for example, just cutting the gyro meat is an art because you can’t cut it too thin or it will burn and get hard. If you cut it too thick, the outside edges will burn because you have to keep it on the grill longer to cook the middle. So, we can’t really cut meat and leave it in a warmer because it just gets stale so quickly.”

Steel City Gyro, which will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, will offer take-out and catering, Hadid said.

It also will offer corporate delivery before introducing residential delivery further down the road. A grand opening is planned for March.